If this is your first visit, be sure to
check out the FAQ by clicking the
link above. You may have to register
before you can post: click the register link above to proceed. To start viewing messages,
select the forum that you want to visit from the selection below.

Hybrid View

zone vs. man blocking

the second half of the bungholes game, our o line pulled an ol' switch-er-oo. now, i have to admit that i just recently came to understand why some o lines us zone and some man up. it makes perfect sense, IMO, to stay with the "phone booth" blocking schemes with the o line that we have. thoughts...

Our line used to have the philosophy of putting "a hat on a hat" as Cowher used to say. Each man take care of the guy in front of you. We can't really do that so much now because our Tackles can't take care of their men without help half the time.

The running game is both the easiest part of the game to find o-lineman and the hardest part of the game to integrate those lineman. Even though the NFL has evolved over the years, most NFL coaches still think run first and will usually pick run blockers over pass blockers (other than the blindside tackle position).

If you have used any draft website and clicked on a scouting report for an o-lineman, you'll probably see a statement about a lineman's "bubble" . This is usually the first thing a coach looks for in the running game. If you follow an old school, "3 yards and a cloud of dust" coach, he's looking for guys with a big bubble.

So what's a bubble? Coaches like big butts and they cannot lie! You other brothers can't deny! Seriously, it's like buying a truck to plow snow. Top speed doesn't matter, as long as you have the horsepower. A big bubble is like a positronic transmission with stability control. The run game has everything to do with a player's lower half and less to do with his IQ and reaction speed, etc... For those of you that have a lineman that still starts for your favorite team, that you simply hate because he makes stupid penalties, or is a turn-stile in the passing game, chances are he has that big bubble.

Now for the zone blockers. They are the guys with a HEMI under the hood, and their job is to simply bump into the opposing player enough to move or slow him. They are the opposite of a bubble player. They move quick, get their quick little bump and move on. The RB's for zone players tend to be North/South runners that quickly find the hole and move upfield, the RB that plays with bubble players reads where the hole is and makes adjustments.

Now for my favorite run blocker! He's a hybrid of the 2 types. He's a snow plow with a turbo-charger! He'll move the first guy where he needs to and is agile enough to get the quick block on a secondary defensive player. If you're a coach that is lucky enough to get 1 or 2 of these guys, your run blocking options open up tremendously.

If you see a run blocking lineman in the Pro-Bowl, he's usually a plow or a hybrid. Zone blockers don't usually command enough attention to make the Pro-Bowl. Over the years, the hybrids are much more valuable than the plows. The plows will make the pro-bowl, but the hybrids will make the Pro-Bowl over and over again.

Now if you're a coach, you usually draft a team of what you think are like players. Then you find out that you were wrong about at least 1 or 2 of them. If you are a good coach, you'll adapt to what you have and make an allowance for a zone blocker on a team full of bubble guys. You'll make that one zone blocker, the guy that goes out and neutralizes the main LB. You'll change the guys that pull. You'll change the guys that need help, and you'll change the guys with multiple responsibilities.

The great coaches can remake the playbook on the fly. This is what separates the NFL from every other level of football. Even at the college level, the play book is usually adjusted for only the skill players, but in the NFL it's changed to adjust for the linemen as well.

What that means is if your favorite lineman gets hurt, you not only have to adjust to how his replacement plays, but you have to adjust to how his team integrates him into the game. In the passing game, it's very easy to give a replacement player help from a RB or TE etc... In the running game, you may have to revise your entire blocking scheme on the fly.

If you don’t stand behind our troops.....Please feel free to stand in front of them!!!

"Give me a 6 pack, half hour of rest and lets go play them again....We can beat them."
--Jack Lambert

"They say that when you're the champs, everybody will try to beat you. Well, I'm glad we're the champs, so bring 'em on, bring 'em all on. If we die, we ain't gonna die running. It's gonna be a fight."
--Joe Greene

The running game is both the easiest part of the game to find o-lineman and the hardest part of the game to integrate those lineman. Even though the NFL has evolved over the years, most NFL coaches still think run first and will usually pick run blockers over pass blockers (other than the blindside tackle position).

If you have used any draft website and clicked on a scouting report for an o-lineman, you'll probably see a statement about a lineman's "bubble" . This is usually the first thing a coach looks for in the running game. If you follow an old school, "3 yards and a cloud of dust" coach, he's looking for guys with a big bubble.

So what's a bubble? Coaches like big butts and they cannot lie! You other brothers can't deny! Seriously, it's like buying a truck to plow snow. Top speed doesn't matter, as long as you have the horsepower. A big bubble is like a positronic transmission with stability control. The run game has everything to do with a player's lower half and less to do with his IQ and reaction speed, etc... For those of you that have a lineman that still starts for your favorite team, that you simply hate because he makes stupid penalties, or is a turn-stile in the passing game, chances are he has that big bubble.

Now for the zone blockers. They are the guys with a HEMI under the hood, and their job is to simply bump into the opposing player enough to move or slow him. They are the opposite of a bubble player. They move quick, get their quick little bump and move on. The RB's for zone players tend to be North/South runners that quickly find the hole and move upfield, the RB that plays with bubble players reads where the hole is and makes adjustments.

Now for my favorite run blocker! He's a hybrid of the 2 types. He's a snow plow with a turbo-charger! He'll move the first guy where he needs to and is agile enough to get the quick block on a secondary defensive player. If you're a coach that is lucky enough to get 1 or 2 of these guys, your run blocking options open up tremendously.

If you see a run blocking lineman in the Pro-Bowl, he's usually a plow or a hybrid. Zone blockers don't usually command enough attention to make the Pro-Bowl. Over the years, the hybrids are much more valuable than the plows. The plows will make the pro-bowl, but the hybrids will make the Pro-Bowl over and over again.

Now if you're a coach, you usually draft a team of what you think are like players. Then you find out that you were wrong about at least 1 or 2 of them. If you are a good coach, you'll adapt to what you have and make an allowance for a zone blocker on a team full of bubble guys. You'll make that one zone blocker, the guy that goes out and neutralizes the main LB. You'll change the guys that pull. You'll change the guys that need help, and you'll change the guys with multiple responsibilities.

The great coaches can remake the playbook on the fly. This is what separates the NFL from every other level of football. Even at the college level, the play book is usually adjusted for only the skill players, but in the NFL it's changed to adjust for the linemen as well.

What that means is if your favorite lineman gets hurt, you not only have to adjust to how his replacement plays, but you have to adjust to how his team integrates him into the game. In the passing game, it's very easy to give a replacement player help from a RB or TE etc... In the running game, you may have to revise your entire blocking scheme on the fly.